Improved india-rubber packing-former



W. WEBSTER. India Rubber Packing Former.

No. 47,477. Patented April 25, 186.5.

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NITED STATES WILLIAM WEBSTER, OF MIDDLETOWN, OHIO.

lMPROVED INDIA-RUBBER PACKING- FORMER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 47.477, dated April 25,1865.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1,-W1LLIAM WEBSTER, ofMiddletown, Butler county, Ohio, have invented a new and useful devicefor preparing packings for fruit cans, which I denominate theIndia-Rubber Packin g- Former for Sealing FruitGans; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full and exact description thereof,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

Figure Ire-presents a top view of my device; Fig. 11 represents avertical section taken through the center of Fig. I,with the packingsthereon; Fig. III, the pressure-ring;

The object of my invention is to obviate a very important obstacle andobjection to the use in a successful and general way of that class offruit-cans which require the india-rubber annular packing to effect theperfect sealing thereof. The practical difficulty to which I refer isuniversal in the attempted use of this class of cans. This annularrubber-packing, as an article of commerce, is furnished to the tradecompressed in packages, in which they are promiscuously placed withoutregard to the form they may assume from being thus thrown together. Theresult of this mode of packing causes the rings to assume every varietyof irregular form. From the nature of the material, as well as thecharacter of the article itself, it is an unavoidable result that thesepackings become so deranged and irregular, and require much time andgreat care in applying them by hand to the use for which they weredesigned. In order to reduce these rings of india-rubber to the trueannularform in which they came from the hose, it has been the practiceto manipulate them for a sufficient length of time. This treatment ormode of preparing the rings is very tedious. The nature of the materialis such that the operation of reforming them by hand cannot to a greatextent be successfully accomplished; and for this reason the use offruit-cans requiring the india-rubber-rin gpackin g have been discardedto a great extent. Purchasers who have once attempted the use of suchcans, and having obtained the packings in the condition above referredto, have found the difliculties so great in' applying the packings thatmany have 1863, was granted, or to that of my patent dated February 16,1861; or to any other of similar construction.

My present improvement is designed to facilitate the use of theseindia-rubber packin gs and enable a person to apply them with rapidity,and without the risk of imperfectly sealing the cans. i

To enable others to make and use my inveution,I will now describe themanner of constructing and using the same.

The prominent features of my improved device for preparing indiarubberannular packings for use are a cylinder and a base. The cylinder may bemade of any suitable material, either solid or hollow, as seen in theaccompanying drawings, and the base consists of a flan ge or annularplate of metal or other material, which plate surrounds the foot of thecylinder, as represented in the drawings at a. This base or flangestands at right angles to the periphery of the cylinder, and should bepermanently fastened to the same.

Although the material, of which my form er may be constructed may bechosen with a view to the taste or the fancy of the manufacturer, yetfor cheapness I have found tin to be preferable. When made of tin, itmay be secured in position for use by a simple weight placed within thecylinder, which stands on end, as represented.

To enable the attendant to place the packings upon the former withgreater facility,

the top edge of the cylinder may be slightly beveled or chamfered; butthis is not indispensable, although advantageous.

When the cylinder is made of sheet metal or equivalent material, theentire area thereof may be occupied by a cylindrical weight closelyfitting within the metal cylinder, and such weight may be turned in alathe from wood, and this weight may be made with a cone-extension whichwill project several inches above the metal cylinder,

, nipulators several hours to accomplish imperfectly. The packing-formeris placed in any convenient position for use, as upon a table,

standing upon its base, and the packiugs or" flat india-rubber rings areplaced upon or around the top of the cylinder A, and when a sufticientnumber, or any desired number, are thus placed, the operator orattendant thrusts them firmly down upon the base or flange a. In orderto cause the entire mass of packings to assume and retain the trueannular form,

- the metal ring as seen in the drawings is placed around the cylinderand pressed firmly upon the packings, where it will remain by its owngravity, or by reason of its friction upon the cylinder. The packingsshould remain upon the packing-former sufficient length of time to causethem to retain the true annular form, which will depend to some extentupon the degree of the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere. Theannular pressurering :20 corresponds with the flange-base a, and thepackings are so compressed between them as to cause each to retain theexact form of the pressure ring a: after being removed from thecylindrical former A.

The purpose of giving to the projecting weight the conical form is tofacilitate the placing of the deranged ring-packings upon the cylinder.My device may, however, be successfully used without the use of a weightof any particular form, as will appear obvicusly. I

Having fully described my improved packin g-former for sealin gfruit-cans, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent as myinvention, is

1. The cylindrical packing-former A, for preparing india-rubber annularpackings for sea1- ing fruit-cans in the manner described, andrepresented in the accompanying drawings.

2. The pressure-ring ac, or its equivalent, in combination with theflange or base (1, applied and used in the manner and for the purposespecified.

W. WEBSTER.

In the presence of- H. P. K. PEoK, J As. E. CAMPBELL.

